Transparent electrically conductive thin films are used on a variety of devices that include a transparent pane, such as flat-panel displays, smart windows, polymer-based electronics, thin film photovoltaics, and windows (e.g., windshields). Such transparent electrically conductive thin films can be constructed from a variety of materials. One such material includes Indium tin oxide (ITO) that is a ternary composition of varying proportions of indium, tin and oxygen. ITO is a transparent conducting oxide that is electrically conductive and optically transparent. ITO is deposited as a thin film on surfaces by physical vapor deposition, electron beam evaporation, sputter deposition techniques, or any other technique that provides for deposition that maintains the electrical conductive and optical transparent properties. Other example materials of transparent electrically conductive thin films that can be used as an alternative to ITO include aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), indium-doped cadmium oxide, carbon nanotube conductive coatings, films of grapheme, and amorphous transparent conducting oxides (e.g., amorphous indium-zinc-oxide).